Greencastle's Tinninis retires after 30 seasons as head football coach

Greencastle coach Chuck Tinninis coaches the Blue Deviles. Greencastle hosted Chambersburg in high school football on Friday, September 1, 2017 at Kaley Field. The Blue Devils won 28-7.(Photo11: Markell DeLoatch, GameTimePA.com)

After 30 seasons, Greencastle's Chuck Tinninis has decided to hang up the headset.

The Blue Devils long-time head coach informed the school of his decision to retire on Friday, Greencastle athletic director Vicki Ritchey confirmed.

Tinninis said he made the decision in part due to health reasons, noting it's harder to move around for him due to bad knees. He also hopes he spend more time with is family.

"My knees are pretty shot, and my back tightens up, so that was a part of it," Tinninis said. "The other part is, I have a couple grandkids now, and I'd like to spend some time with them and the family and my wife."

With his departure, Tinninis left a mark on Greencastle, providing a steadying presence to the program during his tenure as coach.

“Chuck Tinninis has been a figure within our football program for three decades." Ritchey said in a statement. "He has built not only a solid program but perhaps more importantly, solid relationships with hundreds of student-athletes."

In his final season at the helm, Tinninis went 2-8, a deceiving record considering how many close games the Blue Devils were barely edged out in.

"He’s very caring for his players and that he looks out for everybody on the team like their his son," Marshall said. "That’s what means a lot from me. He was like another father to me through the years of playing for him."

Quarterback Cade McDowell also took to Twitter to thank his coach, writing ,"Everybody has their opinions but I'm not sure there is another coach I would have rather played for. If you can play for Coach T you can work for any boss in the world."

Tinninis will continue to teach at Greencastle, but is not sure what he'll do during football season next fall.

As for his legacy, Tinninis just wants to be remembered for a simple thing.

"I hope that I taught my players some football," Tinninis said. "And a little bit about life and discipline."